Ethnic composition and

Culture in West Europe

Ethnic composition based on language in
West Europe (Europe)
Ethnic composition based on Religion in West
Europe (Europe)
Country wise Ethnic Composition in West Europe
1. France
• French people are generally defined as the residents and citizens of France, or in some
cases, as descendants of former residents of France.
• There are two views prevalent regarding the French identity- one through the role of
descent and history in defining who is French while other to the values and allegiance
to the French nation as a key factor of identity.
• Religion- The identity of France as a Catholic country and the close ties between the
Catholic Church and the state were reinforced during the Reformation and Counter-
Reformation, most notably during the reign of Henri IV, a Protestant who converted to
Catholicism upon ascending to the throne. However, by the early 20th century,
secularism became a key part of French identity.
France contd….
3. Culture
• The spread of literacy in the 17th and 18th century, combined with the development
and popularization of enlightenment thinkers and writers (including Voltaire,
Rousseau, Montesquieu, and Diderot, among many others) contributed to the growth
of a significant public sphere. Indeed, since the 18th century, the French state has
made the promotion and preservation of French language and culture (in both the
artistic and national sense) a central part of policy.
• Symbols of French identity, such as cuisine, are often identified by their regional ties,
whether for specific dishes or through the wide variety of cheeses, wines, and other
foods produced in France. The concept of terroir , which refers to the idea that the
land, climate, production methods, and even the local culture can be tasted through
certain foods, has become central to this idea of French identity in recent years.
• Similarly, regional languages, traditional forms of clothing, sports, and other customs
have been brought into museums that celebrate the popular culture of France and
have been incorporated into the national educational curriculum. Even sports
events—most notably the Tour de France bicycle race—are used to promote the idea
that France’s regional diversity contributes to the unified national whole.
 Ethnic minorities in France
1. Algerians in France- 5 percent of the total population, have family ties to
Algeria, a French settler colony from 1830 to 1962. 1.5 million French Muslims
are of Algerian origin, roughly evenly divided between Arab and Kabyle (Berber)
ethnicities. Another 1.5 million trace their ancestry to harkis (Muslims who gained
French citizenship by fighting against Algerian nationalists), Algerian Jews, and
pied noirs (European settlers) who were repatriated to France after Algerian
independence. Algerians in France, although generally French citizens, still suffer
from racism and anti-immigrant discrimination alongside other French Muslims.
2. French Antilleans- Antilleans who were born or lived for an extended period in
the Caribbean often speak Creole, but French is their dominant language. Most
Antilleans in France are Catholic and they are more likely to participate actively in
religious life than other French. They promote Creole language and Caribbean
music and arts. They hope that recognition of Antillean culture and history within
French society will promote equality and reduce racism.
Ethnic Groups-
1. Basque-
a. Location- They live on both sides of western Pyrenees in Spain and France.
The northern Basque country which is a part of the French department of Atlantic
Pyrenees, comprises 10% of the Basques. They are mostly city dwellers.
b. Religion- Roman catholics with increasing inclination towards secularism.
c. Language –Euskara and the speakers are known as Eskaldunak. It is the only
non-Indo-European language. However French is a language largely used in
public and private sphere.(bilingual in schools)
d. Culture-
• There are two communities autonomous and charter community
• the distinction between Basques, French and Spanish is difficult because of the
intermarriages an long duration of cultural homogenisation.
• They have got traditional right of inheritance. The oldest son was the only child
entitled to inherit the family farm or baserri. Younger brother have to find a
livelihood elsewhere.
• Secularization is reflected in the number of civil weddings, which equals consecrated ones in the
Autonomous Community of the Basque Country, the most urbanized of the Basque regions.
• There is a tendency of migration from the interior rural areas due to the dearth of the agricultural
land.
• cuadrillas , informal groups of friends of the same age who spend part of their free time.
Cuadrillas have lost much importance in the urban areas as youth find more attractive other
activities such as sports, advanced study, and recreational activities (e.g., discotheques). Even in
small towns and villages, young people prefer to join sport clubs instead of cuadrillas.
• The following Basque habits and institutions have survived the exposure to French or Spanish
culture: Pelota, Taxokos, Bertsolaritza, Mendigoitzaleak , mountaineers’ clubs, Ikastolak , self-
financed Basquemedium schools.
• A challenge faced by many Basques is how to cope with cultural extinction, particularly in the
regions where sufficient political support is missing, like in Navarre and France.
2. Breton
a. Location- Bretons live mainly in the Brittany region of western France. The three
largest cities in Brittany are Nantes, Rennes, and Brest. There are also significant
Breton diasporas in Paris, other French cities, and in several foreign countries.
b. Language-Bretons are of Celtic cultural origin, the primary language linked to the
ethnic group is Breton (although all Breton speakers also speak French). Gallo, a
Romance language that is now nearly extinct, was traditionally spoken throughout the
eastern part of Brittany.
c. Religion- their religion is predominantly Roman Catholic. Breton people are also
known for their deep religiosity and their commitment to the Catholic faith. Catholic
rituals of baptism, marriage, and funerals are still important today.
d. Culture-
• Their origin is from British Isle. Breton ethnic identity is self-ascribed, situational or
contextual, and frequently performative in a folkloric setting.
• Major bases of ethnic identity for Bretons include territory, race and ancestral origins,
expressive culture (music, dance, costume), and language.
• Only a small but significant minority of the region’s total population claims a strong Breton
ethnic identity or affiliation.
• Extension of French culture has led to assimilation of Bretons into the French nation-state.
• Today Bretons live in an economically developed and technologically advanced
contemporary nation-state structure.
• Brittany’s complex religious landscape includes a large number of saints, religious festivals
known as pardons, and collective pilgrimages to chapels and sacred saint locations. Bretons
also have some culturally distinctive beliefs about death, souls, and the afterlife. Family,
marriage, and kinship were other important pillars of Breton society.
• They have harmonious relation with the people of Celtic origin as well as other ethnic
minorities within France.
Other ethnic groups also includes Catalans.
 United Kingdom
1. English
• England constitutes the southern two-thirds of the island of Great Britain and earlier it was invaded by
the Anglo-Saxon and the Romans.
(Ethnically, 91 percent of the population chose to self-identify in 2004 as “white,” 4.6 percent as “Asian
or British Asian,” 2.3 percent as “Black or Black British,” and the rest as mixed, Chinese, or “other,”
according to the population survey conducted by the Office of National Statistics).
a. Religion- Since 1536, the Church of England has been the official church in England. Almost all 50
English cities have an Anglican cathedral, and the smallest administrative unit in the country remains the
parish. While the British monarch is supreme governor of the Church of England, its spiritual leader is
the archbishop of Canterbury. Other significant Christian faiths include Methodism, Catholicism, and
Pentecostalism. Muslims make up the largest number of non-Christians, whose ranks also include Sikhs,
Buddhists, and Jews. England has a large and growing atheist and agnostic population, like many West
European countries.
b. Language- Apart from English, the most significant languages spoken in England include Bengali
and Panjabi.
c. Culture-
• The English have an impressive tradition in the arts. English painting probably
reached its peak in the 18th and 19th centuries, exemplified by Sir Joshua Reynolds,
George Stubbs, and Thomas Gainsborough.
• The English are a sporting nation and codified many sports in the 19th century that are
now played globally, of which football (soccer) is the most popular.
• The English have been an imaginative and inventive people. The modern scientific
method was developed by Francis Bacon. There have been numerous influential
English scientists, but towering above them all is Sir Isaac Newton, who developed
the laws of motion and gravity and infinitesimal calculus, and Charles Darwin, who
developed evolutionary theory.
• England has had a significant cultural and legal impact on the wider world as the
place of origin of the English language; the world’s oldest parliamentary system; the
Church of England; and English law, which forms the basis of the common law legal
systems of many countries around the world.
2. Cornish-
a. Location- The Cornish are a Celtic people whose name derives from the
county of Cornwall, situated in the far southwestern corner of Cornish the
United Kingdom.
b. Ethnicity- The Cornish descend from the ancient Britons and define
themselves as ethnically distinct from the (Anglo-Saxon) English.
c. Language – They speak Cornish language. While everyday life is
conducted almost entirely in English.The Cornish language has been
recognized by the UK government as an official minority language since
2002.
d. Religion- The Cornish have practiced Christianity since the arrival of Irish
missionaries in the early medieval period.
e. Culture- Cornish people have keen interest in the art, literature, sports etc
3. Welsh
a. Location and language- The Welsh occupy a small country located along the western shore of Britain.
The Welsh call themselves Y Cymry (fellow Welsh), their country Cymru (Wales), and their language
Cymraeg (Welsh). language remains the most distinctive aspect of national identity.
b. Religion- The most prominent religious groups are Christian, subdivided into affiliates of the Church
in Wales, the Roman Catholic Church and others.
c. Culture-Welsh share cultural ties with the English. The Roman occupation exerted a significant impact
on the language, landscape, religion, urban structure, and communication system of Wales. Their Anglo-
Saxon successors called the Romanized, partly Christian inhabitants of West Britain. Welsh-medium mass
culture is reflected through popular involvement in chapel-based social activities, choral festivals,
Eisteddfodau competitions in music, drama, and poetry, a brass band tradition, miners’ libraries, national
sporting federations, and a vibrant publishing industry
4. Scotts-According to historians, Scotland has five founding peoples:1. Picts (Roman
invaders) 2. Scots, who came from Ireland, bringing their language— Q-Celtic or
Gaelic—to western and northern Scotland 3. Norse, from what is now Norway 4.
Britons, speakers of P-Celtic (Brythonic), who settled in south and west Scotland; and 5.
Angles, who migrated into Scotland from northern and eastern England,
a. Location- The Scots are native to Scotland, a country currently making up part of
the United Kingdom. Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, and Dundee.
b. Ethnicity- Scots are not an ethnic group nor do they consider themselves a national
minority living within the British state. Rather, they are a collectivity defined by
territory, above all by place of birth, residence, and ancestry. Being Scottish derives
from having a sense of place, as “coming from” Scotland as a national territory,
rather than a sense of tribe.
c. Language- Scots also refers to the language used in Scotland. People in Scotland
speak English (or more precisely, Scottish Standard English) but with vocabulary,
grammar, and syntax with origins in the variant of northern English known as Scots.
Gaelic language by north Ireland descendants.
a. Religion- Scotland is nowadays a mainly secular society, with around half of the
population claiming some religious affiliation, mainly to the (Protestant) Church
of Scotland, but only one in four Scots attend church regularly.
b. Culture-Scottish culture has deep roots: its exemplars are the intellects of the
Scottish Enlightenment (Adam Smith, David Hume, Adam Ferguson), the novels
of Walter Scott, and the poetry of Robert Burns. The cultural revivals in
literature, art, and music, first in the 1920s, and later in the 1960s, led to a
stronger connection between national identity and political change. Scottish
culture thrives on diversity and hybridity: its literary traditions range from
standard English (e.g., Muriel Spark), to “Scots” (known as Doric/Lallans, e.g.,
Hugh MacDiarmid and Lewis Grassic Gibbon), and Gaelic (e.g., Sorley
MacLean). Scots are Scottish first, and British second; in this respect, their
nationality differs from their citizenship.
5. Manx- The term Manx relates to people with a familial tie to the Isle
of Man, an island in the Irish Sea (British Isles) lying almost equidistant
from its neighbours. The primary language is English, although Manx
Gaelic is spoken by a growing minority, The official religion is Church
of England, but Nonconformism is also spiritually and culturally
significant. Manx cultural engagement, open to all residents, now
enables different forms of identity and identification—ethnic and
cultural—on which both island-born and settled “comeovers” can call,
as appropriate.
Ethnic composition in U.K.
 Irish
• The Irish are the principal nation/ethnic group on the island of Ireland, which is the
homeland of the majority of the approximately 6.2 million inhabitants of the island of
Ireland (and where, particularly in Northern Ireland, hundreds of thousands of people
identify themselves as British rather than Irish).
• The island of Ireland contains two political entities: the Republic of Ireland, occupies
five-sixths of the island of Ireland, and, in the northeast of the island, Northern Ireland
(a constituent part of the United Kingdom or UK), occupies the remaining sixth of the
island. Ethnic and national identification are difficult to ascertain with any certainty in
Northern Ireland, where the majority population identify themselves as British within
Ireland.
1. language- The principal languages spoken in Ireland are English and
Irish (Gaelic).
2. Religion-The majority of Irish in Ireland are Christians; the three
largest religions there are Roman Catholic (representing greater than
90% of the populace), the Church of Ireland [Anglican], and
Presbyterian.
3. Culture- Irish ethnic heritage has been heavily influenced by the
historical, political, and economic relations between the Irish and their
neighbors in Britain and the continent of Europe.
 Ethnic Minorities
1. British Asian - there are more than 2.3 million British Asians in the United
Kingdom, 95 percent of which are in England. British Asians constitute the
UK’s largest nonwhite ethnic group, comprising more than 4 percent of the total
population and more than half of nonwhite.
2. Black British- Black British in theUnited Kingdom, with the overwhelming
majority living in the London area. In the terminology of the British census,
Black British descend from immigrants from the Caribbean, Africa. Black
British constitute the UK’s second–largest nonwhite ethnic group, comprising 2
percent of the total population and about one quarter of nonwhites. Their
presence is evident in literature, music, cinema, intellectual life, and sports.
 Belgium
1. Walloons-The Walloons (in French, Wallons ) are a community of 4 million people who speak French
and live in Belgium. Wallonia, for the most part Catholic, is composed of the southern territories of the
country.
2. Flemish- The Flemish (Dutch: Vlamingen ), also called Flemings, are a Germanic people living in
Belgium. Flanders, the Flemish homeland, is located in the north of Belgium, whereas the French-
speaking south of Belgium,homeland of the Walloons. Flanders are followers of catholic religion.
However, they are becoming more secular.
• In 1962, a language border between the two communities was officially established. The consequent
political reforms divided Belgium into an exclusively Dutch-speaking Flanders and an exclusively
French-speaking Wallonia. The city of Brussels remained as the only officially bilingual part of
Belgium.
• Belgium has been a complex federal state made up of Regions and Communities, and Wallonia and
Flanders each have their own parliament and government. While the Flemish generally favor greater
regional autonomy—a quarter of them even demanded independence in 2010— Walloons are for the
most part reluctant to continue dismantling the state, even if a minority argue for being reattached to
France.
Switzerland
• Switzerland has four official languages—German (the primary language of 64%),
French (20%), Italian (7%), and Romansch (less than 1%)—most Swiss do not fluently
speak more than two languages and one of theseis now often English.
• Throughout Switzerland’s history, religious differences (Protestants versus Catholics)
have caused more conflict than linguistic differences.
1. Italian speaking Swiss
• The Italian-speaking Swiss make up make up 6.5 percent (470,900) of the national
population. Italian is the primary language of more than 80 percent of Italian
Switzerland’s residents. Virtually all Italian-speaking Swiss are Catholic.
2. French speaking Swiss
• The French-speaking Swiss account for roughly 1.5 million people, about 20 percent of
the Swiss national population of 7,630,605 (2008). Most live in Romandy—the
French-speaking part of Switzerland. Roman Catholicismis widely practiced. French-
speaking Swiss have their own territory, language, culture, and customs, and they have
a far deeper cultural, social, and ideological connection to France and the broader
global Francophone community than Swiss Germans have to Germany or other
German-speakingcommunities.
Switzerland
• 3. German speaking –German speakers dominate three of the country’s most
important cities: Zurich, its economic center; Bern, its capital; and Basel.Ethnicity of
German speaker is identified by the place and not by the language they speak.
• Religion-German-speaking population is fairly evenly divided between Protestant and
Catholic religious affiliation with small Jewish and Muslim minorities.
4.Romansh –
a. The Romansh are speakers of the Romansh language in Switzerland. They are the
smallest of Switzerland’s four linguistic groups, making up about 0.5 percent
(35,095) of the nation’s population. They reside in Grison.
b. Language- Today all Romansh are at least bilingual (Romansh, German).
c. Religion- About two-thirds of them are Roman Catholic (especially Sursilvans) with
the remainder Protestants (especially Engadines). The Romansh do not view
themselves as an ethnic group; like other Swiss populations, the Romansh identify
themselves primarily on the basis of geopolitical origins and dialect.
 Netherland
• Location and language- They are known as Dutch people are a Germanic people
living in the Netherlands
• Religion-Historically, the two most important religions among the Dutch have been
the (Calvinist) Dutch Reformed Church and the Roman Catholic Church, though
Dutch, Protestant dissenters and Jews were significant minorities. Today, the Dutch
are one of the most secular peoples in the world.
• Dutch enthusiasm than the 125-mile-long Elfstedentocht, an ice-skating tour in the
northern province of Friesland.
• the country adopted a tolerant policy regarding ethnic and religious minority groups.
This policy attracted tens of thousands of Protestant refugees from the southern Low
Countries, Eastern Europe, England, and France, as well as Sephardic and Ashkenazi
Jews. Protestant dissenters, Jews, and particularly Catholics did not have the same
rights as Calvinists.
• The culture of the lowland is highly influenced by water present in the region.
a. Language- Frisians are a recognized language community in the Netherlands. It is
situated in the northwest of the Low Countries. Frisia derives its identity from being
the only Dutch province with its own language. Currently 80 percent of the province’s
schools use both Frisian and Dutch as the language of instruction, making the area
effectively bilingual. Frisian is also spoken in north-west Germany.
b. Religion- More than half of the population have no religious affiliation, while 30
percent describe themselves as Protestant, 6 percent Catholic, and 2 percent Muslim.
c. Culture- Earlier Frisian culture was considered inferior to the Dutch culture but
Music, art, and literature now follow the national and even global trends and are only
seldom specifically Frisian.
Germany
• German identity developed through a long historical process that led, in the late 19th and early 20th
centuries, to the definition of the German nation as both a community of descent (
Volksgemeinschaft ) and shared culture and experience.
1. Religion- In Germany today 31 percent of the population are Catholics, 30 percent are
Protestants, and 33 percent adhere to no religious faith, evidence of increasing secularization
in recent decades The Catholic and Protestant churches, which each count roughly 30 percent of
the population as their members, are the dominant churches in Germany. While these two churches
witness a continuous loss of members, the percentage of people of Muslim faith has continuously
increased and has reached 4.3 percent.
2. Culture
• By European standards, Germany is a large country with much regional variation, making
identification of a single German culture difficult.
• People professing no faith are larger in number than any one religion.
• However, seasonal holidays and festivities of religious origins, above all the Christmas holidays and
Easter, remain important for the great majority of Germans.
• Also important to German cultural life are festivities such as Carnival ( Karneval , Fasching ,
Fastnacht ), especially in the Catholic regions of the south and southwest of the country. It is a
complex phenomenon, which might be described by the terms tradition, amusement, power, prestige,
politics, or rebellion.
• Elements of Carnival can be found in other, more regionally specific festivities, of which the
Oktoberfest in Munich has gained international renown. The Oktoberfest has evolved from a typical
regional popular festivity to a globally known event that bases its attraction on the streamlined
presentation of stereotypes of local specifics of a popular festivity.
• One important aspect of daily life for Germans is sports, in which German teams or athletes are
internationally successful, foremost among them the national soccer team.
• Despite variation, Germans also share eating and drinking habits. Stew is a typical nationwide dish
and one with a very long tradition in Germany.
• In a political-nationalistic sense, the forest was regarded as an expression of German culture, a
reassuring symbol of enduring Germaneness that was touted in times of rapid change, such as the late
19th century.
 Turks in Germany
• Turkish migration to Central and Western Europe began in the 1960s with the
signing of bilateral agreements with Germany (and other European states), creating
what were called the guest–worker programs in German-speaking countries.
• The formal policies of labor recruitment in Europe ended in the mid-1970s (in
Germany in 1973). Although through family reunification programs and political
asylum laws, the influx of foreigners, including Turks, continued throughout the
1980s and 1990s with occasional drops fueled by restrictive legislation and
promotion of return migration.
• According to the Turkish Ministry of Labour, today nearly 2 million Turks live in
Germany alone. Despite continuing debates on their integration to societies, which
emanate from high unemployment, high rates of school dropouts, and notions about
the incompatibility of Turkish/Islamic culture with European norms and values,
Turks in Europe have over the years formed well-established communities and
created strong transnational ties between Europe and Turkey, as well as within
Europe.
 Austrians
• Language- German
• Religion- Catholic, national group rather than an ethnic group
• Austria’s cultural influences reflect the historical patterns of dynastic rule and
intermingling of ethnic groups that have been the hallmark of Austrian history for
more than a millennium. Under the Carolingian and Ottonian empires, a mixture of
Roman and Germanic influences shaped the early culture of the Austrian duchy.
• A number of Roman cultural practices in agriculture, viticulture, and road building
also survived and were integrated with late medieval German traditions in farming.
Later during the Renaissance and Baroque periods, a prominent Italian influence
marked the architecture, music, and dress of the Habsburg dynasty and aristocracy.
Spanish influences were also evident during the era of the Spanish Habsburgs in
theater and equestrian sports and some French influences can also be traced.